When I switched to N scale a couple years ago, I originally planned to model the Missouri Pacific and Texas & Pacific. As time passed, I changed my mind, and decided that I’d like to model either the Wabash or the Lackawanna in the ‘50s. No problem – I should be able to get Microscale decals for either road’s covered wagons. Unfortunately, Microscale either never released or else discontinued a couple of important sets: the one that would provide the Wabash flags and road names (60-643) for the bluebird scheme, and the the one that would have the DL&W’s freight scheme stripes (60-813). (I’m taking the numbers from Microscale’s similar HO scale sets.) I understand a lot of people can’t be bothered with painting their own equipment anymore, but some railroads’ equipment is hard to come by in factory paint. Can someone explain why Microscale doesn’t have these decals available?
Maybe the decals did not sell enough to make a profit. Have you looked at some of the smaller decal companies? They often sell into nich markets that the larger companies are not interested in
Google can be your friend:
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=DLW
http://www.sptrains.com/460-60812.html
http://www.sptrains.com/460-60821.html
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=WAB
Before complaining, you should at least check the manufacturer’s website.
Good post there TomDiehl! You even got me to click on your links and, Son-of-a-Gun, there it was!
Perchance should I settle on a '70s or '80s era for my railroad I’m going to be looking for run-through power out of Chicago which will probably require some repainting and decaling of some of these roads. I now know where I can go for decals. Muchos gracias, Compadre!
In all fairness, before we criticize the complainer, we should look to see if the listed decal set is actually available from the vendor. If one assumes that the OP wants the N scale equivalent to 87-643 which I think might be 60-698, that decal set is shown as being unavailable. Whether or not the other two links listed actually have the set is another question.
I have Microscale’s site bookmarked. I keep checking back to see if they’ve reintroduced the decals I’m after, to no avail. I know they have the DL&W name and passenger stripe sets, as well as for Wabash’s post-1960 scheme. (I already ordered and received both, some time ago.) However, I’m looking for the stripes for DL&W’s freight scheme and the road name and heralds for Wabash’s bluebirds. That’s the point of my post: Microscale has the artwork for these sets, and produced them in the past. Maybe the decal sets I need didn’t sell. But if that’s the case, why do they have Wabash bluebird stripes available, but not the necessary roadnames and heralds? Of what use are the stripes, if the road name isn’t available?
The bottom line is, I can’t paint a Wabash cab or early hood unit in its as-delivered scheme, and I’m kept from doing the Lackawanna’s freight cab scheme because nobody makes the necessary decals. Sorry for bothering you.
Greetings,
If you should want to go one step further…Wabash passenger car decals can be found for N scale. Look up Gary Roe on the Wabash yahoo group. That’s where I got decals for my passenger cars.
Bob
Did you ever think about making your own decals? With a good printer and the right decal paper it really is pretty easy. You are not really complaining about Microscale, you are just having trouble finding the decals you need. If you want you can email me what you are looking for. I will give it a try and make the decals for you if you want. Just give me some info or pics. I’ll be more then glad to try to help ya out.
Mike
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I’ve thought of making my own decals at times, but it seemed to me that it’s a lot of work and expense (especially if you go the ALPS printer route). I’m not sure how hard it is to come by the artwork, unless you want to risk copyright infringement (another reason for my reluctance to make my own). Hmmmmmm.
The funny thing is, you can actually get Microscale to print these for you as a custom run. Of course, you will have something like 250 sets of decals minimum, but it can be done.
Then, you can turn around and sell all the ones that you don’t use. Who knows? You may actually turn a profit, or at least break even.
Try it. Maybe you’ll be succesful. It worked for years for Accucals when they were printed by Microscale…
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
I also looked for the N scale freight stripes a year or so ago and could not find them. I also did the search on the net, without being told to, and they were no where to be had. I did find a listing, I called, and it was no longer valid.
I have the other N scale DLW decals but not this one. I do have all of them in HO, but that is obviously not right[:D]
Wish I could help…
Before posting, at least read what you are posting. The original poster even listed the needed part number, but you chose to ignore that. The links you provided do not show the needed N scale DLW freight stripes.
Unbelievable.
[quote user=“centercab”]
Before posting, at least read what you are posting. The original poster even listed the needed part number, but you chose to ignore that. The links you provided do not show the needed N scale DLW freight stripes.
Unbelievable.
The number he listed is, or was, the correct part number. Did you even try to look for what he needed on the MicroScale site? If so, you would have noticed that the number he specified would be the right one and that it is no longer available in N scale.
I looked on the Microscale site, under “Lackawanna” which is the common name for the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad. The first link shows what is on their site, which only lists 2 sets for N scale, both of which are listed as “Active–In Stock.” The OP was still “assuming” that the numbers are the same with a different prefix (it may be with Microscale, but that’s not always the case) as he stated in his post.
If the numbers for the HO sets and the existing N sets match up, it’s probably safe to think the missing sets would have the same set numbers as their HO counterparts.
I know the N scale DL&W freight stripe set used to exist because the owner of a long-gone local hobby shop painted a lot of Kato F’s in the DL&W freight scheme and sold them out of his store. I didn’t buy them at the time because I was heavily into HO back then. Live and learn.
Your knowledge of the fact that Microscale used to make the decals you’re looking for is another assumption. The N Scale sets do not show up in the 1985 or 1991 decal catalog, I have both right here. If this is also a job done long ago (and I’m taking this from your comment of “a long gone local hobby shop”) Microscale wasn’t the source. Although Microscale is slowly becoming the “only game in town” for decals, going back a couple decades or so, that wasn’t the case. Just off the top of my head, there was Walthers, Accu-Cal, CDS (dry transfers),Clover House, Westerfield, Champ, Herald King, Highball Graphics, and John Hall. And there’s many I’m sure I’ve missed. I’m not sure I ever knew the names of the numerous custom decal makers, but currently www.railgraphicsdecals.com still lists that they do this service.
Although the hobby shop is no longer in business, if he’s still with us, you may need to contact the local hobby shop owner to find out where he got them. He may even have made them up from colored stripe decals.
Tom,
I’ve got the 2003 Microscale HO & N catalog in my hands, and 60-813 (DL&W) and 60-643 (WAB) both show up in the index in the rear of the catalog right next to the HO listing. So yes, Microscale did indeed make these decal sets in N-scale.
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
Then that “long gone hobby shop” was gone less than 15 years. If I’ve told people once, I’ve told them ten billion times, don’t exagerate.
Wow. Just … wow.
I said the store’s long gone because they went out of business back in the mid-'90s. That’s awhile ago.
BTW, the topic is about Microscale decals because they’re the only manufacturer I’m aware of that made these decals in N scale. I know a bunch of other manufacturers have made all kinds of stuff in HO, but that’s irrelevant because this is about N scale decals.
Anyway, thanks, guys.